The Department of Agriculture (DoA) and industry organisations Sakeliga, Southern African Agri Initiative and Free State Agriculture have reached a settlement on the Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) litigation terms after the Pretoria High Court in May ruled that vaccines may be privately procured and distributed.

The litigation and its settlement have resulted in a process by which the State recognises and supports the right of livestock owners and managers to vaccinate their animals, with record-keeping suited to the State's purposes for monitoring FMD outbreaks.

As part of the settlement, DoA and Onderstepoort Biological Products, as South Africa's vaccine manufacturer, have expressly relinquished any exclusive rights to the import or distribution of FMD vaccines. Sakeliga says this paves the way for stable and competitive commercial supply chains to develop for FMD vaccines.

Sakeliga says the favourable outcome achieved on private sector administration of FMD vaccines underscores the value of litigation as a legitimate mechanism for the orderly resolution of focused disputes.

Fellow industry organisation, FMD Response SA, also welcomed the settlement between government and the litigating parties, saying it will speed up the pace of FMD vaccination - which is imperative to contain the current widespread outbreaks.

FMD Response SA has long advocated that the State's centralised approach to vaccine imports and distribution will hamper the timely efforts required to achieve herd immunity in the country.

FMD Response SA spokesperson Andrew Morphew says the agreement also marks an important shift toward collaboration between government and the commercial farming sector.

He commends Agriculture Minister Willie Aucamp for his willingness, within days of taking office, to engage with organised agriculture and work with commercial farmers to tackle one of the country's most serious livestock disease outbreaks.

Morphew cites the World Organisation for Animal Health as requiring that at least 80% of cattle must be immune at the same time to stop the transmission of FMD. Most cattle therefore need to be vaccinated within six to eight weeks, not months as was planned by the State, including the administration of booster doses for cattle vaccinated in February.

"DoA's own plan already provides for twice-yearly campaigns in the high-risk FMD areas. We are not asking for something new, but that each vaccination round be completed in tight windows and at close to full coverage, so that it does what the plan intends," Morphew states.